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Eating aggression?

murder4me

murder4me

New member
My new corn is so friendly, until I fed him for the first time last night. After he ate I opened his box I feed him in and he was rattling his tail and striking! So I put his box in his cage and waited for him to come out on his own. Is this natural? He's so calm and docile, is this just what I'll have to deal with every week?
 
He's just in feeding mode, still. You could either wait about 30 minutes before putting him back, or just put the box back in. Out of all my corns, I have maybe 10 that there is no way I would reach in and pick them up after feeding, because they are SOOO much in feeding mode that they would strike anything that moved or touched them.

Now if it's a hatchling, I just go ahead and pick them up anyway, because their bites don't hurt.
 
I've only had him a week. He's obviously has been fed before and remained docile, I'm just being paranoid. Also answering my own questions.....😔
 
If future feedings turn out to be an ordeal, I would feed him in his enclosure. Some snakes are confident, good eaters and aren't stressed by being moved around at feeding time. Others are decidedly not. I wouldn't assume your snake is in the latter category from one feeding, but if that turns out to be the case, you are only making things harder on the animal and yourself to feed that way. Here is a sticky on the subject from my personal forum.
 
The guy I bought him from said he got crazy when he ate. I was thinking he was exaggerating because he was so calm and docile. I guess can deal with his crazy eating if he's calm between feedings. Guess I have the Dr.Jeckyl and Mr.Hyde of corn snakes. 😕
 
I think feeding him in his enclosure would make him think of food every time I stick my hand in there. Plus from what I was told he has always been fed out of his enclosure. He doesn't mind coming out of his viv at all to be handled.
 
murder4me said:
I think feeding him in his enclosure would make him think of food every time I stick my hand in there. Plus from what I was told he has always been fed out of his enclosure. He doesn't mind coming out of his viv at all to be handled.
Click to expand...

I think there is no right or wrong answer here, just do what you find works for your snake.

I feed in the viv all the time. I reach in, take the snake out, look them over from head to tail (found a tiny bit of shed still attached to a tail tip last night) and weigh them and document everything.

I put the pinkies on a deli lid in the tank and aim the baby's head at the pinky, most of them latch right on, but if not they know where it is. My adults I play with, put them back and then the hunt is on. I dangle a mouse a few inches above the substrate and jiggle it by the tail, the snakes see them and come over for the "chase". I don't "tease" them for long, never let them miss on a second strike if they miss it the first time, but once they grasp on I keep hold of the tail and play tug-o-war for a few seconds while they coil, then let go. I don't know, I may be totally off on this, but it seems to me that this mimics what happens in the wild, and maybe it's fun or a challenge or maybe not to them. None have written me a letter of complaint about the service!

Anyway, never have any of my corns attacked with feeding aggression when I open the viv, they don't know if it is feeding time, holding time, cleaning time or watering time.
 
murder4me said:
I think feeding him in his enclosure would make him think of food every time I stick my hand in there. Plus from what I was told he has always been fed out of his enclosure. He doesn't mind coming out of his viv at all to be handled.
Click to expand...

I gave you a link at the bottom of my previous post.
 
Nanci said:
He's just in feeding mode, still. You could either wait about 30 minutes before putting him back, or just put the box back in. Out of all my corns, I have maybe 10 that there is no way I would reach in and pick them up after feeding, because they are SOOO much in feeding mode that they would strike anything that moved or touched them.

Now if it's a hatchling, I just go ahead and pick them up anyway, because their bites don't hurt.
Click to expand...

It may be a little off topic, but do you think doing this while they are hatchlings will eventually cause the snake to realize you pick them up after, and lessen the chances of them being in "food mode" like that as they age?
 
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